Lee County does not prepare elevation certificates. Elevation Certificates (EC) are prepared by locally licensed surveyors and submitted to Lee County Community Development as a requirement of the building permit process. Once submitted, Lee County keeps a copy of the certificate on file (see below for information on searching for an elevation certificate). You will need to contact a locally licensed surveyor if we do not have one on file and you need a certificate prepared.
Who Needs an Elevation Certificate?
Structures built in a Special Flood Hazard Area (Flood Zone) must have a FEMA Elevation Certificate to prove that the structure meets elevation requirements. This includes A, AE, AH, AO and Coastal High Hazard Areas known as VE or V zones. A FEMA Elevation Certificate is required prior to vertical construction, before the first permanent horizontal member is placed. A final construction Elevation Certificate is also required. Additional certificates are required for Coastal A Zone and VE zoned structures.
Elevation Certificates can be prepared by local, licensed surveyors.
Find the flood zone and base flood elevation for any parcel in unincorporated Lee County
How to Submit an Elevation Certificate
For New Construction (During the Inspection Process)
- For FEMA 50% Review (During the Application Submission Process)
- In support of showing your structure’s compliance with the 50% rule review related to repairs, remodels, and additions, upload your existing Elevation Certificate or related documents through the eConnect/ACA online portal.
Search for an Existing Elevation Certificate on File
If
an Elevation Certificate exists on a property, within the unincorporated areas of Lee County, you can use our Forerunner web portal to search for it and other flood-related documents, if available.
If you are unable to find an Elevation Certificate in the Forerunner web portal for
a property in unincorporated Lee County, please contact us by submiting the 
Get Help form online.
Possible reasons why you may not be able to find an Elevation Certificate:
- One was not required at time of permitting.
- Structures built prior to 9/19/84 will not have an EC on record (Lee County entered the NFIP and adopted flood maps on this date. If a structure was built prior to this date, there was no requirement for an elevation certificate).
- If EC was prepared solely for flood insurance purposes, we will most likely not have the EC on record. We keep records of ECs that are tied to building construction permits.
- Jurisdictional issues: we will only have ECs for structures permitted and built while under Unincorporated Lee County's jurisdiction. The term "unincorporated" means any area that has not been incorporated into a city limit (basically anything outside of a city limit).
- At the time of permitting/construction, the property may not have been in a flood zone.
Find an Elevation Certificate through the FDEM Database
Effective Jan. 1, 2017, a copy of each elevation certificate prepared by a surveyor and mapper will be submitted to the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) as required by Florida Statute 472.0366. FDEM worked with representatives from the Florida Surveying and Mapping Society, the Florida Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers, and the office of Florida Senator Jeff Brandes to create a solution to meet the requirements of the law. A user-friendly database has been created (for reference purposes) where you can easily view previously submitted certificates.
For more information visit https://florida.withforerunner.com/properties.
If you are unable to find an Elevation Certificate in the Forerunner web portal for a property in unincorporated Lee County, please contact us by submiting the
Get Help form online.